


Sweet Little Monster

by LiterallyThePresident



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Implied/Referenced Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-12
Updated: 2018-08-12
Packaged: 2019-06-26 02:18:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15653730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiterallyThePresident/pseuds/LiterallyThePresident
Summary: Peter chooses the wrong nickname to call Juno





	Sweet Little Monster

“Harsh, Juno.” Peter said airily as they left the interrogation room and the sobbing criminal behind them, “Don’t you think that was a little much?”

“No.” Juno glowered, tetchy and irritated. As usual.

“A tad.” Peter hummed, amused.

“Was not.”

“I think the poor man actually soiled himself.”

“That’s his problem, not mine.”

“You’re a demon, you know that?” Peter smiled happily, “A short little demon with an impressive temper.”

“Five-four is not short.” he grouched, “And I’m not a demon.”

“A friendly neighborhood monster, then.” Peter chuckled, “My darling little monster, who-“

“ _Don’t_.”

“Juno?” Peter blinked and turned to look at him, taken aback by vehemence in his voice. His hands were clenched into fists, his face a touch pale. His eyes were dark as that temper turned on Peter.

“Don’t call me that. Ever. _Ever_ , you hear?” he growled, and if Peter wasn’t so attuned to Juno he might not have noticed the slight tremble in his voice, “Never call me that again, got it?”

“I... Of course.” he recovered, confused and a touch worried, “My apologies, Juno.” There was a few moments of awkward silence as they walked down the street, the martian sun setting behind them. Peter waited for Juno to break the silence, knowing any attempt before the detective was ready would be met with anger. It took a full five minutes for Juno to sigh and slump his shoulders.

“Sorry.” he exhaled tiredly, looking exhausted, “Just... sorry.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I’m assuming there’s a reason for your aversion to that nickname?” Peter asked, not offended. Juno hesitated, eyes on the ground rather than him.

“Uh... yeah.” he hunched his shoulders again. Defensively. Like he was protecting himself, “My mom used to call us that. My brother and I. Her little monsters. That’s what we were.”

“Ah. I apologize.” he said, mentally scrolling through everything he’d read about Sarah Steel when he’d researched Juno for the Kanegawa case. Horrible woman, he’d thought. Monstrous. “Were you and your mother... close?”

“Probably. Once.” he said sullenly, “Before she became an abusive piece of shit who murdered her own child over pills.” Peter winced. Over _pills_?

“I’m... so sorry for making you remember her.” he said honestly, “I truly didn’t mean to cause you any distress.”

“Not your fault. You didn’t know.” his eyes narrowed somewhat, “Did you?”

“I researched your basic past when first we met.” he said, not too offended by his paranoia, “Nothing more. Nothing personal. And I would never ever use something like that against you, Juno. I promise you that.” Juno relaxed somewhat, and he had the grace to look apologetic.

“Sorry.” he laughed softly at himself. It wasn’t a pleasant laugh, “I’m saying that a lot, it seems.”

“Is that not a good thing?” Peter asked. Juno snorted.

“From a certain point of view.” he sighed, “Sorry I keep doing stuff that makes me need to apologize.”

“I forgive you.” he said easily, “Now come along, Juno. You mentioned you had scotch back at the apartment?”

—-

“You know what the worst part is?” Juno said later that night, on his sixth drink and leaning into Peter’s welcoming arms, “Besides losing Ben?”

“Hm?” Peter asked, stroking his hair and gently lifting the drink out of his reach, setting it on the bedside table, “Do tell.”

“She thought he was me.” he murmured, letting his face fall onto Peter’s shoulder, “She killed him because in that moment she mistook him for me and she killed him. And she made sure I knew it when I found Ben’s body. She... _taunted_ me with it.”

Peter... Peter _hated_. He hadn’t felt hate like this since Miasma had used him to torture Juno. No, this hate was _stronger_ than when he held for Miasma. He almost wished Sarah Steel was still alive so he could hold her down and slice her fingers off segment by segment. He wished he could hunt her down and force her to take back every horrible thing she’d ever said about Juno. He wanted to carve Juno’s name into her flesh until she realized what a gift she’d been given, what a blessing she’d abused and tossed aside. It wasn’t until Juno made a small noise of complaint that he realized he’d been digging his nails into Juno’s shoulders. He let go, smoothing his hands over the dents in apology.

“I am so, so sorry for what you had to go through.” he murmured, voice a little thick, “I’m sorry for what she did you you.”

“Yeah me too.” he said quickly, “I shouldn’t have brought it up, just... forget about it. Please.”

“You can always talk to me.” Peter said softly, hugging him tight, “Always. And I will always listen. Because I love you so so much, Juno. So much.”

“I just... Can I ask you something? A really selfish favor?” Juno asked, burying his face in his shoulder as if to avoid looking at him.

“You can certainly ask.” he replied, worry gnawing at his stomach. Juno asking a favor never ended well.

“You love me, right? So... don’t let me be like her.” he said, clutching Peter tighter, “Don’t let me be her. Call me out when I’m being unreasonable, knock my lights out if I ever _ever_ try to hurt you or Rita or anyone close to me, lock me up, hurt me, kill me if you have to, just _don’t_ let me-“ he took a shuddering breath, the alcohol clearly taking it’s toll, “I can’t be her. I feel her every time I lose my temper and I _can’t_ be her.”

“You won’t.” Peter blinked away the moisture threatening to blur his vision, drawing Juno tighter to him, “You are so much better than her already. You won’t become her. I swear it.”

“Thank you.” he murmured, “Thank you, Nureyev.”

“Of course.” Peter murmured, stroking his back and holding him tight, cursing Sarah Steel for all the misery she’d caused. Juno fell asleep soon after that, the alcohol granting him a mercifully dreamless sleep. 

Peter was not so lucky. That night he had terrible nightmares. He dreamed of Juno with tears in his eyes and blood on his hands, forcing Peter to keep his promise to kill him. He dreamed of Sarah Steel wrenching a terrified, vulnerable Juno from his arms, taking him away never to be seen again. He dreamed of a little boy with wildly curly hair clutching at his sleeve and begging him to hide him from his mother. He dreamed of holding a stranger in his arms, a stranger with Juno’s face and not a scar to be seen, weeping Juno’s name into Peter’s shoulder.

He woke up at three thirty five am on the dot, stifling a cry on pure instinct. His eyes darted around wildly until they landed on Juno’s sleeping form, curled onto his chest and sleeping peacefully. Peter took a moment to catch his breath, pulling Juno tighter to him, trying to chase the dreams away with his warmth. Juno was here. Juno was breathing softly and quietly. Juno was fine. A little broken, a little bitter, but fine. And no one would ever harm him again. Not on Peter Nureyev’s watch.

He didn’t fall asleep again. He watched Juno in the dark for hours.

**Author's Note:**

> Guess who is now obsessed with Juno Steel lmao


End file.
